The present invention relates to automotive vehicle racks and, more particularly, to a load carrier support of such a rack.
Roof racks which are provided as original equipment by an automotive vehicle manufacturer, typically are designed to be aesthetically pleasing. In this connection, the cross bars of such a rack are curved often from one side of the roof to the other to conform to the shape of the roof panel. While such a rack arrangement is aesthetically pleasing, the cross bars of the rack support articles they carry at an angle to the horizontal. This can be detrimental, particularly when the load is a recreational article such as a bicycle which projects upwardly a significant distance from the rack. It not only is unsightly to be carrying a bicycle or the like at an angle, doing so results in many detrimental stresses during transportation, both to the rack/carrier support and the load.
In order to avoid this problem, many of the "after market" roof racks that are available use a cross bar which is straight. While this avoids the problem, the rack is unsightly and does not at all conform to the vehicle design. It should be noted that even some after market racks use curved cross bars which are subject to the problems associated with such a curved bar.